


To Strive, To Seek, To Find

by MoveTowardFocus



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Keith (Voltron), M/M, Slow Burn, but not for long, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2019-10-20 18:23:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17627315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoveTowardFocus/pseuds/MoveTowardFocus
Summary: They're in some deep shit here on this Galra ship. Keith honestly doesn't know if they're going to make it out. Lance sits down across from him and puts his hand on the glass. He has a look on his face that Keith can't decipher but he thinks he maybe gets it, at least a little. He raises his own hand and places it over Lance's.Lance lets a small smile stretch across his face. "So, what's the plan?"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first part of a multi-chapter fic. I'm not sure how long it'll be but this is the first bit, which is shorter than the others. Also, in this fic Keith doesn’t know he has Galra heritage.Title is from Tennyson's poem "Ulysses". Leave me a kudos if you liked it. That'd be cool.

There have been many times where Keith knew he was going to lay down his life for something he believed in. In his opinion, it was just part of being a paladin of Voltron. His life simply wasn't as important as the team as a whole. Of course, the others had tried many times to convince him this wasn't true.

Keith remembers the way he had once flown his lion into the side of a Galra ship to knock out its laser fire. He hadn’t considered it at all. He just knew that the laser was pointed at his friends. After he’d arrived back in the castle and emerged a little worse for wear out of his lion, Lance had immediately grabbed him by the arms. Keith remembers the way he had given him the most serious face he'd seen on him in a while and said “Your life is more important than anything else.” He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, just that the sentiment was a little weird coming from Lance.

Now, Keith knows exactly what he means.

Keith has just woken up inside of a cell of some sort. He doesn’t recognize it. The little hallway his cell faces has purple edging though, so he figures it has to be Galra. His head is throbbing and the inside of his mouth tastes a little like blood so he thinks he must have bit the inside of his cheek. He runs his tongue over it and finds the jagged edge and winces. He tries to remember how he got here.  
He remembers that he and Lance had gone off on their own for a mission to a planet in need. The two were in the middle of a diplomatic meeting, yuck, with the leaders of the alien species when sirens had started to sound. He vaguely recollects Lance screaming something at him and standing up out of his seat to pull him along down a dark hall. He and Lance had gotten separated when Galra soliders had grabbed Keith from behind. The last thing he remembers is a sharp pain in his arm and Lance's horrified face.

He looks down at his arm and finds a needle mark. They drugged him with something. His clothing pulls at his arm and he realizes his paladin armor has been taken off of him and replaced with the black and grey Galra slave clothing. He doesn't seem to have any other injuries and for the most part is unharmed. He gives his cell a more probing look and finds nothing in the cell with him. It's just him and the row of cold metal bars locking him in. He startles when he realizes the wall he's leaning against is see-through and that he can see Lance, still unconscious, sitting on the ground and leaning back against the wall they share. Keith feels immediate relief and a surprising rush of something like adoration at the sight. He sees that Lance's cell is the same as his but flipped. They both share the see-through wall which means their cell doors are on different hallways. Keith notes that that will be an issue for a later time.

"Lance!", Keith taps against the wall near his head, trying to wake him up. Lance stirs a little bit but then jerks awake. He turns around in his cell so he faces Keith. 

"Keith?" Lance asks, still sluggish from whatever they were injected with, "Where are we? Are you okay?" Lance gets louder as the situation hits him. Keith notices he also has been forced into the Galra clothing.

"I'm okay. They drugged us with something so my head hurts a little. What about you?" Keith scoots closer to the glass, placing his palms on it for balance so he can sit up on his knees.

He watches Lance check himself over. "I'm okay. My head hurts too but it's whatever. Your hair looks like a nest. It's a good look for you." Keith rolls his eyes but is relieved at Lance's normal behavior. He can't help the small flush that rises to his cheeks at the implication that Lance would find anything about him good looking. 

"How are we going to get out here? Where are we even at?" Lance asks, looking around his cell before looking back at Keith. Lance fidgets with the sleeve of his shirt.

Keith wishes the barrier was gone and that they could at least share a cell. Keith wonders when his desire for Lance to stay away from him faded. "We'll figure it out." Keith promises. He hopes he's right.

Their moment is interrupted by the sound of Lance's cell door being swung open, the metal scraping against the floor. A Galra soldier stalks his way into the cell and Lance pushes his back up against the barrier in an attempt to stay out of reach. The soldier wordlessly grabs Lance by the arm and hauls him up. "Don't touch him!" Keith bites out loud enough for the soldier to hear him. The soldier doesn't pause in his movement and instead starts to drag Lance out of the cell. Keith stares after Lance, standing now with his hands on the glass. "It's okay!" Lance shouts over his shoulder at Keith, trying to look reassuring. Then silence, as their footsteps fade down the hall. Keith stands there, trying not to panic at the prospect of everything they could do to Lance. 

Keith isn't sure how long Lance is actually gone. Long enough for Keith to start pacing the short length of his cell. Long enough for Keith to start wondering whether he was going to come back at all. He does, eventually. The same solider as before drags Lance into his cell, shoving him in, and then shuts and locks the door behind him. Keith tries to see the locking mechanism as it's being locked. It's some kind of mesh between a physical key and a touch screen. Keith saves the information to analyze later. 

Keith presses himself up against the glass. "Lance!"

Lance looks up at him and Keith gasps. Lance's face is bruised over his cheek and jaw line. He also has a small cut above his right eyebrow. He looks like he's been in a fight and Keith's stomach drops. Lance looks exhausted.

Lance open and closes his mouth a few times before deciding on what to say. "I wish there was fast food in space. I could really go for a cheeseburger right now." Lance gives a small smile but winces when it pulls his bruised cheek. 

Keith ignores his attempt at lightening the mood. "What happened?"

Lance heaves a sigh, sobering. "They wanted information. They kept asking me questions about the team. They wanted to know about you. A lot about you." Lance says slowly, thinking it over.

Keith doesn't know how to respond to that. They wanted information about him? Why him specifically? He realizes Lance's injuries must be a result of his refusal to give the information. Keith feels like he could throw up. "You should have just told them about me. What if they had killed you? Your life is more important than anything else."

He suddenly gets it. He understands how Lance felt that day when he'd hurled himself into the Galra ship. 

Lance shrugs. "They would have hurt you too." He says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world. He says it like they're not constantly fighting each other. He says it like his own life doesn't matter. 

Keith sits down cross-legged on the ground in front of the barrier as close as he can. He's quiet for a minute as he tries to phrase what he wants to say. They're in some deep shit here on this Galra ship. Keith honestly doesn't know if they're going to make it out. Lance sits down across from him and puts his hand on the glass. He has a look on his face that Keith can't decipher but he thinks he maybe gets it, at least a little. He raises his own hand and places it over Lance's.

Lance lets a small smile stretch across his face. "So, what's the plan?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a paladin. I’m Keith.” He rambles, the drug loosening his tongue against his will.  
> The Galra all look at each other, like they’re all in on some big secret about him.

They decide that the first order of business is to find a way to get out of the cells. Keith thinks it’ll be harder than it looks with the unfamiliar locking mechanism and the fact that their cells are on two different hallways. Even once they get out, they won’t know how to find each other. Keith asks Lance if he has any memory of where the hallway his cell is on ends up but Lance just shakes his head.

As much as he hates it, he thinks the best thing they can do for now is wait. It’s been about a day or so since they took Lance for the first time so they still don’t know why they’re here. They need to get a better idea of how the lock works, not to mention obtain the physical key, and Keith knows the Galra soldier will be back, allowing them to get a better idea of the layout of the ship. There are so many things that could go wrong and Keith prays that the team has gotten wind that something is wrong and are looking for them.

His heart aches at the thought of the team. They must be so worried, just like he is about them. Keith is yet again struck by his own thoughts about the team. It’s not really his M.O. to care this much. He finds he kinda likes it.

His attention is drawn to Lance who is asleep in his cell. He’s sitting against the opposite wall than the barrier, so he can face Keith probably, and looks to be having a nightmare. Lance is sweating and mumbling something in his sleep. “No, I’m sorry…”

Keith debates waking him up. They haven’t gotten much sleep recently and any sleep is better than no sleep. Lance makes a desperate sound, eyes furrowed. He wakes himself up before Keith can decide. Lance just stares blankly into space for a few seconds, breathing hard. He touches his own arms, hunching in on himself a little. He accidentally makes eye contact with Keith and startles. Lance wiggles his eyebrows. “Like what you see?”

Keith ignores his dumb attempt at humor. He examines him closely. “You wanna talk about it?” He asks, unsure if he really wants to know but willing to listen if it’ll help.

Lance straightens back up slowly, dropping his hands away from his arms to pick at the grey sleeve of his uniform shirt. “Nah. It’s all the same stuff as usual anyway.”

“Same stuff as usual? Do you have nightmares a lot?” Keith asks, surprised.

“I mean, yeah. It’s no biggie though. I’m used to it.” He responds quickly, clearly uncomfortable but not willing to admit that it bothers him.

Keith lets it be for a moment. Lance is clearly vulnerable right now but he has no urge to tease him like he would have in the past. “Sometimes I have nightmares that the team dies because of me.” Keith offers up. He doesn’t like talking about his own feelings but if it’ll make Lance more comfortable then he guesses it’s worth it.

Lance crawls over from the opposite wall to the barrier and sits cross-legged in front of it. He leans his chin on his palm. “You don’t seem like the type to get nightmares.”

Keith shrugs. “I think everyone does, it’s just that nobody wants to talk about it.”

Lance nods at that, brow furrowed. Keith can almost see the wheels turning in his head. “I have nightmares about not being good enough for the team.” He looks down at the concrete floor.

Keith doesn’t know what to say to that. He wants to say he had no idea that Lance felt this way but he knows deep down that’s not true. He just has never known what to say or if it was his place to say it. Oh well, he was here now.

“You’re good enough for the team, Lance. Always have been, always will be, “Keith promises, trying to catch Lance’s eye, “You’re irreplaceable.”

Lance’s breath hitches and he looks like he’s about to cry. Well shit, that’s not what Keith wanted.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I was just, uh, trying to relate.” Keith apologizes awkwardly, unsure of how to make Lance understand.

Lance holds a hand over his eyes and quickly shakes his head. “No, no that’s—“, he takes a breath, “thank you, Keith.” He says sincerely, obviously embarrassed at his own reaction.

Keith is confused for a second before it hits him that Lance isn’t close to tears because he’s uncomfortable, he’s moved by what Keith said. It sends a heady rush of affection through Keith and he wants to say it again but Lance looks dangerously close to having a breakdown in his cell. Instead, Keith just sits quietly in front of the glass as he watches Lance rub his red face.

Eventually, the Lance everyone knows makes a reappearance. “I can’t believe you have feelings. You know, if you said stuff like that all the time, you’d have girls all over you.” Lance points out.

“Whatever, Lance. I wish I could say the same about you crying.” Keith shoots back. Lance sticks his tongue out at him.

It’s calm after that, the two of them just sit there, waiting for the Galra to make their move. Keith can’t sit still for very long though and gets up to go inspect the lock. It’s hard to see from within the cell but it looks to be a regular lock with a hole for a key, but it has a screen the size of his hand above it. The screen is blank so he taps on it. A main screen with a number pad pops up. There are some other symbols he doesn’t recognize scrolling across the top. He sighs and scrubs a hand over his face. Not only are they going to have to get their hands on the physical key, but they’re going to have to figure out the number sequence that unlocks the touch screen. “Fuck.”

“Is it that bad?” Lance questions from where he’s lying, spread out on the floor in boredom.

“Yes. We need a physical key and a number passcode. I suppose we can take the key from the guard but it won’t be long before he realizes it’s gone. We can’t take it until we know the number code and know how to get out of the cell block.” Keith reasons aloud.

“How are we supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know. The next time the guard shows up, do your best to watch the code he puts in without being obvious about it.” Keith is worried about the ‘obvious’ part. Lance isn’t exactly covert.

“Sounds like a plan.” Lance lifts an arm to shoot him a finger gun.

With that figured out, Keith sits back down against the wall next to the barrier. He crosses his arms and closes his eyes. He should at least try and get a little sleep while he can.

“Keith?” Lance pipes up.

“yeah?”

“Thanks again. For earlier.” It’s said in a small voice.

“Don’t mention it. Really, don’t.” Keith tries to make it sound harsh but can’t help the note of affection that comes through anyway.

He falls asleep with the sound of Lance’s quiet huff of laughter running through his head.

* * *

He is, quiet rudely, woken up by his cell door being roughly ripped open. Two guards are on him quickly, with the cell being so small, and Keith has just enough time to whip his head to the side to make eye contact with Lance. He gives Keith a small nod and Keith takes that as the signal that he got the code for the lock.

Keith is lead down a long and narrow hallway. He does his best to memorize the layout, noting the door that’s on the right about halfway down the hall. It’s labeled but it’s not in English so it’s of no use to him. They take an abrupt right turn and then a left. They lead him down the hall and stop before a large metal door. This door also has a lock and he watches the guard stick the key in and put in the code. The door slides open and he’s pushed inside.

They immediately strap him to a table, not unlike the one they rescued Shiro from at the very beginning, and it instantly puts Keith on high alert. He struggles against it but the guards hold him down while a Galra in a different uniform he doesn’t recognize injects something into his arm. The effects are felt immediately and it makes Keith stop squirming. He feels weird, kind of loose and gooey. Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he understands that this is not a good sign.

“You are the red paladin, Keith?” They start off brusquely.

“Yeah.” He answers without pause. Oh. That’s not good.

He thinks maybe they gave him some kind of truth serum. He wonders what they gave Lance.

“Do you know who you are?”

That throws him for a loop. “Uh….I’m Keith?”

The Galra soldier next to him cracks a hand down and slaps his face, knocking his head to the side. It burns and Keith tries to lift a hand to it before he remembers he’s strapped down.

“Let me rephrase. Do you know what you are?” The Galra interrogator gets right in his face, peering down at him curiously. His attention is caught by the strange robes they’re wearing. He suddenly remembers he’s supposed to be answering a question but he’s so confused.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a paladin. I’m Keith.” He rambles, the drug loosening his tongue against his will.

The Galra all look at each other, like they’re all in on some big secret about him.

“Your fellow paladin, does he know what you are?”

Keith will be forever glad that they interrogated him separately from Lance, because the first thought that comes to mind in his interpretation of the question is not what they were asking for. “That I’m gay? Probably not.”

He gets hit again, this time it breaks the skin on his cheek and a small trickle of blood makes its way down his face and onto his neck. He doesn’t understand what they want to know. He’s Keith. The drug is making him sluggish and too ready to answer. He tilts his head to the side and stares blankly at the table next to him.

“He doesn’t know. That much is apparent. Please let the higher ups know that they can begin phase one.”

Keith doesn’t like the sound of that. Phase one? Their questions ring in his head. He doesn’t really get a chance to consider it though, as he’s knocked over the head and into unconsciousness.

_Do you know what you are?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more fluff and a little more plot. Big things are coming people. Please leave a kudos if you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll find you. I’m not leaving you behind.” Keith promises, looking Lance in the eye. Lance looks like he wants to argue but doesn’t push it.  
> “Okay. Be careful.”

Keith’s getting tired of waking up like this. He blinks his eyes open, squinting into the annoyingly bright white lights of the cell. It shoots a bolt of pain through his head and he hisses, bringing a hand up to rub over his eyes. He feels too nauseous to move and he doesn’t know if it’s his head that’s causing it or the remains of the truth serum. He groans and curls up into a ball.

“If this is what sleeping beauty looked like when she woke up, I’ll pass.”

Keith forces himself to uncurl enough to turn over on his side so he can look through the glass barrier. Lance is sitting on the floor in the middle of his cell, eating something Keith doesn’t recognize but thinks looks similar to an apple, if apples were aqua colored. He looks tired but otherwise unharmed in any way since the last time Keith saw him.

“Gee, thanks.” Keith sits up slowly and runs a hand through his hair.

“So?” Lance takes an obnoxiously loud bite of his not-apple.

Keith does his best to recall everything that happened while under the effects of the serum. “They asked about me. They wanted to know what I am. Not who, _what_.”

“That’s it?” Lance puts the core back on the little tray next to the door of his cell.

“What do you mean that’s it? You don’t think that’s a little weird?” Keith asks, annoyed at his lack of concern.

Lance shrugs. “Well, yeah, but everything that’s happened to us is weird. Plus, I already told you they asked me that same thing.”

He has a point, which angers Keith. He doesn’t know what to make of this. He’s stuck on the phrasing. They want to know what he is. _What_ he is. The phrase is stuck on loop in his head and he feels like he’s missing something vitally important.

“They have some kind of plan. They said they were going to start ‘Phase One’.” He doesn’t want to know how many phases there are.

He picks at some blood on his shirt, going for nonchalant. He doesn’t think he succeeds. Eyeing the tray in his cell, he picks up his own not-apple and takes a bite. It’s beyond sour and kind of tastes like green beans but it’s not terrible. He spares a moment to think that it might not be safe to eat it but dismisses the thought. If the Galra have a plan, they need him alive to carry it out.

“Well, the good news is that I know the number code for the door.” Lance smirks, crossing his arms, obviously trying to distract him.

Keith perks up at that. “Thank God, now we can get the physical key and get the hell out of here.”

He hates the amount of time they have to spend waiting around doing nothing. The only upside is that it gives him plenty of time to think. Lance doesn’t seem worried about the Galra’s plans, but Keith sure is. He starts to wonder what they’re going to do when they get out of the cells. They don’t know if they’re on a planet or floating out in space. They don’t know where their lions are at nor do they know if the team knows where they are. Overall, they’re fucked. He feels bone deep exhaustion despite having just woken up and his head starts to nod.

His chin hits his chest and he’s almost got his eyes closed when he zeroes in on a stretch of skin on his hip where his shirt has ridden up. His skin is purple. At first, he thinks he must have a bruise from his rough treatment by the guards but the more he looks at it the more he thinks it’s too different of a shade of purple for that. No, this purple looks suspiciously familiar.

Glancing at Lance out of the corner of his eye he checks to make sure that Lance isn’t paying attention to him. He’s not, he’s taken to throwing his not-apple core in the air and catching it. Keith looks back down at his hip and slowly lifts his shirt. The purple area is about the size of his fist and covers his hip and stomach area. It definitely wasn’t there before he was taken. This must be whatever Phase One is. He tries to stop the rising panic and bile, breathing in and out as evenly as he can. As discreetly as possible, he looks over the rest of his body and finds a similar spot on the top of his shoulder that must extend at least a little down his back because he can’t see the edge. There’s something very wrong here. He’s changing and he doesn’t know if it’s something they’ve injected into him or if it’s been in him all along. That would explain why the Galra were looking for him specifically. How can Lance not see him losing his mind? Keith feels open and vulnerable and like he’s not who he thought he was.

A guard appears to take back the food trays, starting in Lance’s cell. To do it, he has to unlock the doors. Keith thinks that this is their chance. They don’t have a plan for when they get out but he thinks that they can wing it. The Galra won’t be expecting it so soon after his interrogation with the truth serum. He tries to give Lance a meaningful look. Lance looks back at him, raising an eyebrow. ‘The key’ Keith mouths at him. It dawns on Lance what Keith wants and he shakes his head, eyebrows raised in panic. Keith nods his head firmly and mouths it again. The guard has left Lance’s cell and so Keith knows it’s only a matter of time before he arrives at his own.

“Keith this is a really bad idea,” Lance pleads quickly and stands to get closer to the barrier, “we don’t have a plan for when we get out and the guard could be carrying a weapon, I think we should—” He cuts off when the guard appears at Keith’s cell.

Keith ignores him and waits until the guard bends to pick up the tray to strike. He stands silently, thanking god for the stealth training Shiro made them do, and lunges to wrap an arm around the guard’s neck. He gets him into a choke-hold and the guard flails a little before going limp. Keith cautiously lets him go and sees Lance staring at him with his mouth hanging open from his side, like he can’t believe Keith ignored him. Keith digs through the guard’s armor for the key and backs up when he finds it, holding it up for Lance to see.

He goes to the padlock on the closed door and inserts the key into the lock and turns it. It makes a clicking sound as it unlocks. The touch screen comes to life and the number pad blinks up at him. He whips around to look at Lance.

“What’s the number? When I get out, I’ll find you, don’t worry about it.” Keith states earnestly, trying to unlock the cell before someone notices something’s amiss with the guard.

“Seven, one, eight, five, one.” Lance says, voice shaking.

Keith enters the number and waits. The screen goes blank for a bit before unlocking. The cell pops open and Keith grabs a hold of the door to prevent it from closing again.

“I’ll find you. I’m not leaving you behind.” Keith promises, looking Lance in the eye. Lance looks like he wants to argue but doesn’t push it.

“Okay. Be careful.”

Keith nods once in his direction and takes off as fast as he can down the hall when he doesn’t see anyone coming his way. He tries to remember the path from the day before and goes in the opposite direction instead. He runs down random hallways, stopping at doors and trying to figure out where they lead. He’s halfway down a corridor when an alarm starts to sound. He curses, picking up the pace and almost runs right past a hallway that’s got the same purple lighted edging from the cell block. He turns the corner and there’s Lance, pacing in his cell. He stops when he sees Keith coming around the corner.

“Keith!” He exclaims.

Keith runs up to the door and jabs the key into the lock, breathing hard. “I told you I was coming back for you not even five minutes ago.” He says, exasperated.

Lance meets him at the bars, ready to run. “I know, but I wasn’t sure if you were serious.”

They need to have a serious discussion about that but now is not the time. Keith enters the number into the lock and pulls the door open when it unlocks. He absently thinks that the Galra are more than a little stupid for making all the locks have the same code. He pulls Lance by the arm into the hallway to get him moving and they take off running back the way Keith came.

The alarm has been blaring and Keith finds it discomforting that they have yet to run into a single Galra soldier. They stumble upon a locked door that looks like it leads outside and Keith can’t believe their dumb luck. He turns around to tell Lance to hurry up only to see at least ten guards turning the corner onto their hallway, running right for them.

“We need to go, now.” Keith says uselessly, pulling at the door.

It’s locked and the touch screen looks nothing like the one from their cell. It’s bigger and an odd shape. The guards are almost to them and he’s so angry that this is his life. He wasn’t meant to go down like this, on a fucking Galra ship with no lion. He spares a last glance at Lance, who looks so tired and defeated that it gives him a little extra push. They’re not going to die in this place. He looks back at the touch screen. There are no spots for numbers and it’s the size of his hand. His hand. He looks at his own palm before touching it to the screen. The door lets out a decompressing whoosh of air and he doesn’t waste a second pulling himself and Lance through it. He slams it behind them, directly into the faces of the guards.

He doesn’t let Lance’s wrist go as they run and he can hear Lance’s hysterical laughter behind him. It’s hot outside, sweltering, and the environment is one ginormous jungle. It looks very similar to one on Earth, but there are no animals or creatures that he can see. They run straight through the trees, branches and vines whipping his face and arms as he runs. Lance almost trips several times but Keith hauls him up and they keep going. They run until they can no longer hear the alarm and Keith’s lungs are burning. He looks behind him to check for guards and there are none. They suddenly break into a small clearing and Lance pulls him to a stop, hunching over.

They stand there and breathe for what feels like forever. Eventually, Keith stands up straight again and examines the area. He doesn’t know where they are. They ran at random deep into the jungle. He doesn’t know how they’ll get out again and prays that the lions will somehow find them. He’s concerned when they don’t immediately appear to come to their aid.

“I can’t believe you got the door open. I thought we were dead for sure.” Lance heaves out in between breaths.

“Lucky break I guess.” Keith tries not to think about how his hand was able to open the door.

They are even more lucky to be on a planet with oxygen. Now that they’re standing still and not running for their lives, Keith is struck by how ungodly hot it is. He’s from the American south and so he knows what hot means. That pales in comparison to this. He wants to take his shirt off but doesn’t want to leave himself vulnerable.

They’re going to need water and shelter while they come up with a new plan. Keith doesn’t see any water sources and can’t hear the sound of running water. He walks the perimeter of the clearing. In the distance he can see where a huge tree stands. It reminds him of the American redwoods, if those were jungle trees. From this distance, it looks like it would be the width of a car. It has a hole dug out of the main trunk. He turns to Lance, who’s been standing and watching Keith. He has his hair slicked back out of his face with sweat.

“There. We can decide what to do next. It’ll be cramped but it’s better than nothing.”

Lance starts toward Keith, wiping his forehead. “Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As someone who lives in the American south, let me tell you: It's really fuckin hot. If you enjoyed please leave a Kudos!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s like he’s suddenly been made aware of what he’s been looking at all along. Lance’s silky hair and deep blue eyes and tan skin make Keith feel hot all over when he hadn’t given it a second thought a month ago.

It takes a while to get to the tree. They have no weapons which means they can’t cut the thick vines and vegetation that get in their way. Now that the main panic is over, Keith’s face and upper arms sting from where the vines had whipped him as he pulled Lance along. He’s sure he has small cuts everywhere. They make it though, tired both from the exhaustion from running for their lives and the heat bearing down on them.

“That’s a big ass tree.”

Keith flicks his eyes over to Lance. He’s got his hands on his hips and leaning back, probably trying to see the top of the tree. Keith lets a small smile stretch across his face. He leaves Lance where he’s standing to go investigate the inside of the tree. He really wishes he still had his bayard. He doesn’t know what could be living in this big ass tree and isn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of more running.

He steps into the cut-out, which is almost exactly his height, and is satisfied to find nothing in the tree. There are small holes that have been naturally worn into the hollow walls of the tree that let in a fair amount of light. It smells damp and musty but the ground is free of any debris. He has room to stand in the tree but thinks that he and Lance are going to be in for an extremely tight fit if they were to lay down. Overall, it’s a giant step above having nothing.

Lance scrapes his head on the top part of the entrance on his way inside and spends five minutes complaining about it.

“I’m telling you, it’s going to get infected and I’m going to die of a splinter here on this weird alien planet. I can’t die, I haven’t kissed Allura yet and Hunk promised he’d make more of those cookies he made last week.” Lance laments dramatically, hands flailing.

Keith’s good mood dies at the mention of Allura. He just misses the others so much it makes him angry is all.

“I think you’ll live.”

The two have sat down, as far into the tree as they can so any searching Galra soldiers will have a harder time spotting them. They’re facing each other, with the light fading it’s getting harder to see each other. Keith scoots back to put more room in between them but doesn’t get very far, maybe a foot, before he runs out of room. So much for that.

“Hey are you okay? That looks like a pretty serious bruise.” Lance breaks the silence, reaching toward his shoulder.

Keith is confused for a split second before he remembers his newfound discoloration. The holes in his shirt from the vines whipping him have revealed the purple over his shoulder. He jerks his shoulder away and Lance’s hand hangs in the air for a second before he retracts it back to his side.

“Oh…yeah. No, it’s fine. I’m fine.” Keith’s eyes flicker to stare down at the dirt floor. He rubs his hands together.

Lance shrugs and leans back against the wall. “If you say so.”

It’s awkward. Lance was just trying to help him and he jerked his shoulder away like he was burned. Keith debates telling Lance about his new purple spots. Lance wouldn’t think differently of him, would he? He wants to say no but doesn’t know for sure. He’ll stay silent about it for now. The last thing he needs is for Lance to run screaming from him.

“What was that all about earlier, in the cell?” Keith prompts, trying to break the tension.

Lance turns to him. “What was what?” He readjusts his position, crossing his legs to get more comfortable in the tight space.

Keith stares at him. “You thought I wasn’t coming back for you even though I said I was.”

“Oh. That.” Lance rubs the back of his neck.

“Yeah. That.” Keith’s prepared to wait him out.

“I just…I wasn’t sure. I know you could have made it out without me, you always do. It was more of a burden for you to come back for me” Lance tells the floor, making a little pile out of the dirt, “but obviously you came back for me. What were you going to do without your sharpshooter right?” Lance tacks on at the end in an obvious attempt to make himself sound less serious.

“Right.” Keith responds, completely serious.

“Seriously, I just wasn’t thinking, I knew you weren’t going to leave me behind.” Lance tries again.

Keith is thankful for the little tree shelter because this time he really can hug Lance. He’s not much of a hugger, but he goes for it anyway. He sits up on his knees and leans into Lance’s space, grabbing him around the shoulder and sticking his face in his neck.

“I’m not going to leave you behind.” He mumbles into his hair.

It makes tears spring to Keith’s eyes even though he’s the one trying to comfort Lance. He’s reminded of all the people who promised they’d stay only to leave him alone. He often wonders what his life would have been if someone had just kept that promise. Then he met Shiro and the rest is history, but it still cuts him deep like a knife every time.

He can’t imagine what it must be like for Lance, who actually has a family waiting for him back on Earth. It certainly doesn’t help that Lance is insecure about his place on the team. Keith knows Lance must have thought he wasn’t worth coming back for. He hugs Lance just a little tighter.

He becomes aware that Lance actually is crying. He pulls back enough to try and catch his eye, but Lance ducks his head, raising a hand to wipe his eyes.

“I got dirt in my eye.” Lance mumbles.

Keith pulls out of the hug and returns to his spot, giving him some space.

“It happens.” Keith plays along.

“It’s a very serious hazard.” Lance gives him a watery smile.

He’s such a dork that it makes Keith smile in return. He does his best to lay down. He has to bend his knees a little, so he can’t imagine what it’ll be like for Lance, but it’s still a step above the cell. They don’t talk for the rest of the night. After a while, Lance lays down almost touching Keith in the small space. It’s quiet and Keith knows that there must be creatures somewhere in the jungle because he can hear them calling each other. The coolness of the night air and the drone of the jungle in the background work together in lulling Keith to sleep.

* * *

 

When Keith wakes up in the morning, he’s completely at peace. It’s such a contrast to how he’s woken up the past few days that he almost falls back asleep. Until he recognizes that the pleasant weight around his waist is Lance’s arm. Keith’s eyes widen and he freezes. Sure, they’ve had a few heart to hearts but that doesn’t warrant this kind of behavior. Also, there’s the little fact that Lance isn’t gay. They were bickering about Lance leaving his seemingly endless pairs of lion slippers all over the ship just a few days ago. This isn’t like them.

The most confusing part is how Keith actually likes it. Lance is warm, almost too warm with the heat of the day creeping up on them, and his weight is comforting. Plus, he smells good which doesn’t make any sense since neither of them have bathed in several days. He likes it. He likes Lance. The realization hits him like a brick and he jerks in surprise. He’s even more surprised when Lance doesn’t wake up at the response. He likes Lance. His own behavior finally makes sense. All of the touchy feely moments and the desire to touch him. All of the irritation at the mention of Allura. The desire to protect him. It all falls into place.

Keith untangles himself from Lance’s arms and makes a beeline out of the shelter. He doesn’t know where he’s going. He just walks in a straight line, breaking branches as he goes, until he finds a water source. There’s a small river that runs a little ways behind the shelter and he doesn’t hesitate to strip his slave clothing off, placing it in a small pile for when he gets out. He wades into the water and ducks his head under and thinks.

He doesn’t know what to do with this information. Not only does he have the whole being purple to deal with, now he can’t look at Lance the same way. It’s like he’s suddenly been made aware of what he’s been looking at all along. Lance’s silky hair and deep blue eyes and tan skin make Keith feel hot all over when he hadn’t given it a second thought a month ago. No, Keith realizes, that’s a lie. He thinks he’s been heading this way all this time, he just hasn’t wanted to face it. He thinks his desire to not look at Lance in the shower room has more to do with his shoulders than it does to do with how much Lance irritates him. Keith flushes red at the thought of Lance in the shower and is grateful for the chill of the river.

He swims around in the water, letting the river wash away the grease from his hair and the dirt from his skin. He wishes it would wash away his problems along with it. The water stings on his little cuts but he ignores it. He closes his eyes and sits waist deep in the water, pushing his hair off of his face.

“Oh my God, there you are.” Lance sounds exasperated.

Keith looks at him over his shoulder. Lance has some serious bedhead and his clothes are rumpled. He’s adorable. Lance stretches and his shirt rides up, revealing a thin line of skin. Keith looks back down at the water, letting it run through his fingers.

“Yeah. I wanted a bath.” Is all a response he gives.

He can feel Lance walking up behind him and doesn’t think anything about it until he presses a finger to Keith’s shoulder blade. “This doesn’t look like a bruise.”

Keith sucks in a breath and quickly slips deeper into the water until only the top of his shoulders and head are showing. He faces Lance. He must look as panicked as he feels because Lance takes a few steps toward him, pulling his shirt off and wading into the water, soaking his pants. He backs up to the bank of the river until the rocky side digs into his shoulders. Lance gets right in his face and he’s so aware of his own nudity, he wishes Lance would take a step back. He’s grateful that the water isn’t clear enough to see through.

“What’s really going on. I’m dumb but I’m not that dumb.”

“You’re not dumb. I really don’t know.” Keith says quickly.

“Uh huh. You’ve been weird since you got back from whatever room the Galra took you to. What’s going on?” He’s all no nonsense, hip popped out.

Keith sighs. “I’m turning purple. I don’t know why.” He hesitates. “I’m scared that maybe I’m not as human as I thought.”

Lance nods as if he already knew that. “Well that explains the yellow eyes.”

“What?!” Keith exclaims, wishing he had a mirror.

“Yeah. They turned yellow yesterday when I was explaining how I totally knew you were coming back for me.”

Keith stares. “And you didn’t think to say anything?”

“I knew you were going to freak. What does it matter anyways?” Lance is acting like this is all completely normal.

Keith’s mouth snaps shut. What does it matter? _What does it matter?_

“Uh, how about the fact that I could be evil? That I could be Galra?” Keith asks, voice rising.

“So? You’re not evil. Being Galra doesn’t make you evil.” Lance says it as if he’s explaining something to a child.

Keith doesn’t even know what to say to that. He guesses Lance is right. Just because he could have Galra DNA doesn’t mean he’s inherently bad. He figures thinking that to be true is actually kind of racist. He sees where Lance is coming from. Still, it’s hard to come to terms with. He’s still changing.

Keith’s teeth start to chatter with the cold from the river. He doesn’t understand how it can be this hot outside but the river can be this cold. When he sees that Keith has calmed down, Lance takes a few steps back.

“You’re still annoying ol’ you, you still have the mullet and frowny face.” Lance assures.

Keith splashes him and Lance lets out a yelp, splashing Keith back. “I guess you’re right.” Keith concedes. He splashes Lance again.

They get into a splashing war, and Keith definitely thinks he’s winning, when he spots two figures in grey and purple uniforms hacking their way through the vegetation in their direction. They don’t seem to have noticed them in the river. Keith hisses Lance’s name and he quits splashing.

“Get down!” Keith hisses, pushing Lance toward a boulder resting on the river. Keith ducks as close to the water as he can and reaches onto shore for his clothes. He struggles putting them on in his wet state. When he’s dressed and soaking, he makes his way over to Lance and the boulder. It sticks up far above their head and has a small overhang for them to hide under. They sit under it in the water, breathing as quietly as they can. Keith hears footsteps breaking branches and he squeezes his eyes closed, pulling Lance closer to the boulder. Their faces are almost touching and Keith has the sudden urge to kiss him.

“Is that one of the subject’s shirts?” An unfamiliar voice asks.

Keith’s eyes widen and scan the area. There on the shore is Lance’s abandoned shirt where he’d forgotten all about it in their haste to hide.

“Affirmative. I’ll let the others know we’re getting closer.”

The footsteps sound right on top of them. They have to do something. Just as the thought occurs to him, Lance swims away from him and down the river a little ways. He panics, thinking that if the Galra don’t kill Lance he certainly will, when Lance disappears from sight. He skims the surface of the water, trying to catch sight of him when the two Galra guards let out screams. He abandons his spot under the rock and looks up at the shore. Lance is standing over the Galra, holding one of their guns. He looks smug.

Keith doesn’t know what to say. “How did you do that?”

Lance shoots him a smirk, twirling the gun in his hand. “I was on my school’s swim team. And I played like a thousand games of hide and seek with my siblings.”

Keith is impressed and he thinks Lance knows it because he shoots him a wink. He rolls his eyes, crossing his arms. The wink does weird things to his stomach. “Whatever.”

Lance stops spinning the gun around when he almost drops it. He nudges the closest guard with his toe. “So, what do we do with him?”

Keith lets a mean smile grow on his face. “I think it’s our turn to get some information, don’t you think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a long one. The pace will pick up soon. Leave a kudos if you enjoyed!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of them wakes up first, blinking groggily up at them as he comes to, and gives them a glare.
> 
> "Paladins." He greets viciously, baring his teeth.
> 
> "Mean Galra dude." Lance greets back.

Moving the Galra soldiers ends up being way more work than Keith anticipated. The problem is that the guards are wearing all their armor and he and Lance haven't eaten anything since those weird apple things in the cell. Also, it's currently a thousand degrees.

They had decided that the best course would be to move the guards to a secondary location. There's no evidence that the guards know about his and Lance's little tree, although if the guards are searching this close to it, then they need to move again. One thing at a time.

It also doesn’t help that the guns they took from the guards are useless. One of them was damaged in Lance’s little show of strength by the river. The second worked for a while, and they carried it with them as long as they could, but it powered down for no real reason. They don’t know what happened and they don’t have Pidge’s technology expertise with them to figure it out. They end up having to abandon it. He hopes it was technical failure and not an advancement in Galra tech that lets them power down weapons from a distance. So they’re fucked, basically.

Keith's sweating buckets and one look to his right shows that Lance is too. He wasn't kidding about the heat. It's unbearable, and he used to live in Texas. He's breathing like he's run a mile as he drags his guard by the ankles, armor clinking together, through the thick jungle terrain. It's slow going, as they have to maneuver around and through vegetation and rocks. He wonders if there's this many rocks in Earth jungles. He doesn't think so.

"Can we take a break?" Lance interrupts the silence, panting.

"No, we have to keep going. We don't know when they'll wake up." Keith drags his soldier past Lance.

Lance shakes the leg of the Galra he's pulling. "I don't think that'll be for a while."

Keith looks at him. He looks like he's going to pass out any second. "Okay."

Lance plops down on the ground, making a face as his clothing comes into contact with the dirty jungle floor. He brings his knees up to his chest and hangs his head between them. It sparks irritation in Keith's chest that they're even in this situation. It's nobody's fault but he can't help it when Lance looks like that. Keith stays standing, one leg popped out as he breathes, tilting his head back to look at the sky. He doesn't know what time it is. There's no telling how many suns this planet has, or how long one day is. He guesses it's close to Earth's though, based on the last few days.

"What are we even going to do with them when we find a spot?"

Keith tilts his head back down to see that Lance is drawing a stick figure in the dirt with a stick.

"I don't know," Keith hadn't thought that far ahead, "I'll think about it as we walk."

Lance groans at the prospect of more exercise. "That's not comforting."

Something suddenly pops into Keith's mind. He ignores Lance's confused expression as he squats next to one of the Galra footsoldiers, running his hands over their armor until he finds what he's looking for in a small space between the armor and the body. "Ha!" He holds it up triumphantly.

"We're going to....handcuff them? To what?" Lance isn't connecting the dots. It's funny though, he really should be, considering what Keith's about to say.

"So you remember your little friend Nyma, right?" Keith asks innocently enough, the handcuffs dangling from one finger.

He sees the exact moment Lance catches on to what he's referring to, face instantly turning down into a pout. Keith struggles to keep from laughing.

"I remember." Lance says cautiously, obviously afraid Keith is going to tease him. He is.

"Yeah well you can thank her if you ever see her again for the idea."

"Shut up, Keith. I could have gotten out of it." Lance is looking down at the ground, breaking his stick into little even sized pieces, voice rising.

"I don't know, you seemed pretty vulnerable to me. It took a while to get the handcuffs off." Keith remembers, standing back up to stick the handcuffs in the waistband of his pants. He wishes he had his belt.

"She tricked me!" Lance explodes, rising to his feet.

"Oh, I know, but what were you thinking when she broke the handcuffs out?" Keith is honestly curious. Didn't he see it coming? He's always wondered.

"I was thinking-" Lance starts loudly before cutting himself off.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing." Lance has taken a defensive pose, arms crossed. His eyes are wide.

He's beyond embarrassed now and Keith wonders what it was that Lance had thought. They were handcuffs, there's only so many uses and the only two that even come to mind are capturing someone and--

"Oh my God, Lance."

Keith isn't sure what he feels about that. It's obvious Lance had thought that something sexual was going to go down. It prompts a whole slew of questions, the main one being whether Lance was going to consent to that or not. He starts thinking about him and Lance and the handcuffs and what Lance would look like in that scenario and, oh there's an idea. He has to shake his head to clear the thoughts away. He almost completely misses the way Lance has been shaking his head and waving his hands in front of him defensively, yelling about being tricked and pretty alien girls. That last part kind of stings but Keith does his best to squash the feeling down. It's not Lance's fault he feels like this.

"Okay, whatever you say," Keith sing songs, reaching for his guard again, hoisting his legs up so he can start pulling again, "Come on, we better go."

Lance throws a rock at him and Keith ducks, laughing. Lance huffs a breath but follows Keith's lead.

Twenty minutes later, they've found a spot far enough away from their shelter in a secluded area, and they deem it a good enough space to conduct an impromptu interrogation. Keith picks a tree and hoists his guard into a sitting position in front of it, Lance sliding his right next to him, and they use one pair of handcuffs to handcuff the two together and the second set to handcuff them around the tree. Keith doesn't know how the weird laser handcuff things even work, but he's grateful for them.

It doesn't take long for the soldiers to wake up.

One of them wakes up first, blinking groggily up at them as he comes to, and gives them a glare.

"Paladins." He greets viciously, baring his teeth.

"Mean Galra dude." Lance greets back.

"Jax." the soldier corrects, apparently to prideful to go by anything other than his name. Keith thinks it's kind of stupid on his part to share his name so easily.

"Okay, _Jax_ , we have a few questions for you and your buddy here." Keith starts in, pointing between the two of them.

"And why would I answer them?" Jax has the nerve to look bored.

"We'll leave you handcuffed to this tree until the others find you. And who knows when _that_ will be." Keith threatens, face stoic. 

The Galra thinks it over for a few seconds before sighing. "What do you want to know?"

So much for victory or death. Keith wishes Zarkon could see how easily one of his foot soldiers crumpled under the faces of two sweaty teenagers.

"Where are our lions?" Lance questions, serious now.

"In the main base's hangar. Good luck fetching them though, they're unreachable. Naturally, we knew you would be coming back for them." Jax sounds smug.

That would explain why neither of their lions had come to their rescue. If they were so heavily guarded, they wouldn't be able to break out. They were going to have to come up with a way to break in. He supposes he could ask the guard but who knows if he would tell the truth. Jax's partner mumbles in his sleep but doesn't rise all the way to consciousness.

"What is phase one?" Keith asks the question that's been bugging him the most.

"Yes, I see that your true nature has started to show," Jax nods towards Keith's purple patches and yellow eyes, "what a surprise that must have been."

"Answer the question." Keith spits.

Jax grins. "If you think that I, a lowly foot soldier, has that kind of information then you're dumber than you look."

Keith tries not to let his anger show, gritting his teeth. He can see Lance looking at him out of the corner of his eye. They make eye contact. Keith raises a questioning eyebrow. Lance shakes his head.

"Well, seeing as how you didn't answer all of our questions, I think you're going to get to enjoy this tree a little longer." Keith smiles at Jax, enjoying his discomfort.

"I answered your questions." Jax growls.

"We didn't like your answers. I'm sure someone will find you, eventually." Lance says back easily, shrugging. He turns to Keith. "Let's go."

The two walk away, listening to the sound of Jax curse them and promise their heads on platters. They pay him no mind, walking back to their shelter. They walk until they can no longer hear him.

"I feel like we don't even have any more information than when we started." Lance says sadly, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"I know. At least we know that the lions are in the main hangar and not hidden somewhere."

"That's true. We don't know anything about how they're being guarded or even how to get back into the base. Plus, they're expecting us now that we escaped." Lance reasons, a little bit of nerves shining through.

Keith sighs. "Looks like we'll have to do a little bit of observation before we go in. We can move shelters for now and sneak our way down to the base for some recon tomorrow."

Lance doesn't look happy but doesn't offer up any alternatives. "A new shelter?"

"If the guards were that close to where we were then I don't think it's safe to go back. Especially when they find out they're missing two of their own." Keith explains.

Lance nods but looks a little put out. "I liked that tree." Keith nods his agreement.

Silently, they start to walk away from the direction of their tree. It makes Keith a little sad, which is weird because he's not typically a sentimental person. It's just that the tree is the place Keith realized his feelings for Lance and it seems wrong somehow to walk away from it like it's nothing. It's not like he has a choice though and he knows it's irrational to go back just for that, and so he keeps walking.

He's also sad he got no more info on whatever the fuck Phase One is. He had really been hoping for some answers and now he was right back where he started. For now he would just have to roll with the punches and hope that the two could re unite with the team before they have to deal with whatever the Galra are planning.

His thoughts must show on his face because Lance bumps his shoulder into his. 

"You're frowning more than usual."

Keith keeps his gaze on where he's walking. "I miss the team."

Lance smiles sympathetically and walks a little closer next to Keith so that their arms brush every so often when they walk.

"Me too."

Whatever the Galra are planning, he's glad Lance is there with him.

* * *

 

Keith had almost forgotten about whatever creatures they can hear at night. Their existence is brought into immediate focus when Lance grabs him by the arm and pulls him down to squat next to him behind a tree.

"What are you-" Keith starts but Lance clamps a hand over his mouth and points into the jungle ahead of them.

There, about twenty feet in front of them, is a monstrous creature. Whatever it is, it doesn't look friendly. It's huge, easily eight to ten feet tall, and a dark grey. It has spines going all the way down it's back and some serious looking claws. It stands upright, like a person, but looks nothing like one. It's face has multiple eyes, Keith thinks he counts fifteen, and a mouth that extends too far across it's face full of razor sharp teeth. All in all, not a friendly looking creature.

He removes Lance's hand from his mouth and flicks his eyes up to make eye contact. Lance has wide eyes and mouths 'what the fuck?' Keith just nods his head in agreement.

He squats there, trying to figure out what to do, but Lance taps him on the shoulder. When he turns to see what he wants Lance starts pointing to their right and then forward again in a curving motion. Keith doesn't get it and so Lance mouths 'Go around'. Keith considers it. If they go around there's a chance the creature will see them and maul them to pieces. He shakes his head and mouths 'stay'. Lance points again. Keith huffs in annoyance. He doesn't have a better plan though and so he nods in agreement. Lance stands up but hunches over to stay close to the ground and moves slowly to their right. Keith follows closely behind and keeps one eye on the alien.

They never stood a chance. They make it maybe thirty feet before the creature suddenly stands up straight and scents the air. They freeze, not daring to move a muscle. The alien lets out a bloodcurdling howl and sprints toward them, falling onto four legs.

"Run!" Lance yells, grabbing Keith by the hand and taking off in the direction they were already going.

They sprint, Keith dropping Lance's hand part way through so they can run easier. He dares a look over his shoulder and sees the creature is gaining on them, drool dripping from it's jaws. He shoves at Lance's shoulders, trying to push him forward faster. They aren't going to make it at the speed they're going. 

There's actually a chance they're going to die here. They're running out of breath and their human legs just aren't a match. Keith sees blue out of the corner of his eye and whips his head to the side. There's a waterfall. He goes with his gut and changes course, grabbing Lance by the arm to pull him in the new direction. Lance almost trips and goes down but catches himself. He hopes Lance knows what he wants. He thinks he does because he starts to sprint toward the edge of the cliff, getting ready to dive.

They're almost there when Keith gets a vine caught around his ankle and goes down. He hits the ground hard, hitting his head and getting dirt in his mouth. He rolls back into a siting position and starts to pull on the vine desperately, trying to untangle it. Lance is a few paces a head of him before he realizes Keith is no longer behind him. He turns back to see Keith, bleeding out of a cut on his temple and tangled up. He immediately starts back toward him but Keith shouts at him.

"Keep going! Leave me!" 

"No!" Lance yells back, seconds away from reaching him.

The alien has caught up with them now and grabs Keith around his torso with one of his clawed hands, wrenching him off the ground and snapping the vines holding him down. The claws dig into his side and he can feel where they slice his skin. He yells out and it startles the creature into dropping him. Keith lays there on the ground, vision swimming. What happens next is kind of a blur. He feels himself being lifted up and half dragged across the ground. His head is lolling to the side and so all he can see is the three moons in the sky where the canopy of the jungle trees has parted. He's shocked out of his stupor when he's engulfed in cold water. He floats, the water stinging his skin. There's red in the water and he wonders if it's coming from him. He doesn't remember if Lance got hurt or not.

He's abruptly pulled above the surface and onto dry land. His vision is starting to cut out but in between flashes of black he can see a face hovering over him.

"-dare die on me, Keith, I-"

He recognizes it's Lance. He doesn't like the tone he's using. He seems afraid.

"-stupid mullet and stupid pretty face-"

Keith can't feel any of his limbs and what Lance is saying doesn't make any sense.

His vision blinks out again and he succumbs into the blackness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, poor Keith. Next chapter: some doctor Lance. Also, some progress in their (non existent) relationship. Please leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed! If there's something in particular you would like to see in this fic, please leave a comment. I'm insanely curious and also open to suggestions. Less work for me, right?


	6. Chapter 6

_Keith is five years old. He's playing with the toy spaceship his dad had gotten for him from the toy box at the thrift store. It's late in the afternoon, the last of the light outside coming in at an angle through the window. He holds the spaceship above his head and the wing falls off from where it's been taped on many times before. It hits the ground and slides underneath his dad's bed. He knows he's not supposed to be playing on this side of the house. He's not supposed to touch his father's things. He also knows his dad will be home from work soon and that he'll be mad at Keith if he finds the piece of the toy._

_Keith lays down on his stomach and sticks his little arm under his father's bed, sliding it around in search of the wing. Before he finds it, his hand bumps into something larger. Keith grasps onto it and slides it out from underneath the bed. It's a shoe box. Keith has always been a curious child. He opens the box, flipping the lid open. On top, there are old photographs of what looks like a cave of some kind and pictures of the desert outside his house. He discards these, setting them to the side. Underneath the photos is a knife and another photo. He picks up the knife._

_Keith definitely knows he is not supposed to be holding a knife. His dad would kill him if he saw him with it. His father is a loving man and worries about Keith's safety, and it makes Keith feel a little guilty to be holding it. Even still, Keith isn't afraid of it. He feels comforted, somehow. It's light, despite the thickness of the blade, and there's a wrapping around the hilt. He likes it. He feels like a warrior from one of the books his father reads him. He puts it aside in favor of the Polaroid._

_It's a photograph of his father and a woman he doesn't recognize. The first thing he notices is the purple skin on the woman. Keith's five year old brain doesn't know what to make of this, but it doesn't phase him much in that weird way that young children have of accepting anything as reality. The next thing he notices is the way his father is smiling. He looks so happy. His dad has his arm around the woman, and they're pressed up close next to each other so his father can take the picture. It makes Keith feel warm to look at the picture. He doesn't know who the woman is, but he thinks she's gorgeous. Keith hears the sound of a truck door slamming shut, and he shoves everything back into the shoe box, the lost wing long forgotten, and slides it back under the bed._

_He keeps the knife._

It's pain that wakes Keith. He almost can't think about anything except for the throbbing in his side. It's hard to think, his thoughts are muddled, but he tries desperately to hold onto the memory his subconscious brought up. He can still see the image of the woman behind his eyelids, and Keith can't believe he had forgotten about the shoe box. He holds the image a second longer before it's gone, shoved out of focus by his other immediate needs.

He blinks his eyes open, squinting into the dark. He doesn't know why it's so dark. He can't really see. He lifts a hand and makes a small noise when it pulls on his torso.

"Keith?"

Instantly, hands are there, pushing his arm back down to a resting position. The hands move to his face, brushing his hair out of the way. It's gentle and it feels nice on Keith's burning forehead. Why is he so warm? He feels like he's burning up, sweat gathering on his temples.

"Lance?" He mumbles, his brain finally matching the voice to the person.

"You're okay. We're in some kind of cave." Lance's voice sounds really close now.

The memories of what happened come back to Keith. The creature, the claws in his side, being pulled from the water. 

"Water." Keith's throat is so dry.

Lance holds something to his lips and Keith wonders hazily where he got a container to hold the water. He takes a few sips, the water doing wonders for his voice. He's already tired again, and he feels weird. The back of his mind supplies the word 'fever' for him.

"You called me pretty." Keith blurts out without thinking.

Lance sucks in an audible breath. Keith tries to touch his burning side again but Lance catches his wrist. He twists his hand out of Lance's grip, hand brushing Lance's forearm. He feels smooth skin.

"You're not wearin' a shirt." He slurs, the haze of the fever slowing him down. He wants to sleep so badly but he wants Lance to answer him.

"I needed a bandage for your side." Lance says in reply, dunking something in water before setting it on his forehead. Keith wishes he could see Lance's face. 

The only part that gets through to Keith is that Lance is in fact shirtless. 

"Oh, well I like lookin' at you so it's okay." 

Lance freezes. He can't see him but everything is so very quiet and it makes him tense. He doesn't know why he said it, it's true but he didn't really mean to say it out loud. It's a struggle to hold his eyes open.

"I like looking at you too." Lance's voice is gentle in the dark. He huffs a breath. "You better not remember this past your fever. I didn't sign up to be your nurse, buddy." 

Keith doesn't get a reply past his lips. He can't hold his eyes open any longer, and so he falls back into unconsciousness.

* * *

 

_Keith is seven years old. He's in the principal's office, waiting for his dad. He sits in the chair across the principal's desk, swinging his legs as he waits. His dad is going to be so mad at him._

_The door opens and his father is let into the room by the receptionist. His dad makes eye contact with him and Keith thinks that he's too young to die._

_"Good afternoon, Mr. Kogane, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances," his principal shakes his father's hand, "I'll get right to the point. I will not have violence at this school. Your son has punched one of his peers."_

_His dad takes a seat in the chair next to him, looking over at him in disapproval. Keith shrinks in his seat under the weight of the gaze._

_"Why did he punch him?" His father asks, accent thick._

_His principal looks shocked at the question. "Does it matter?"_

_His father looks at Keith and then back at the principal. "I think so."_

_The principal swings her gaze to Keith. "Well?"_

_Keith flicks his gaze between the two adults, swallowing. "Tucker said my mom left me because she didn't want a son like me."_

_Silence._

_The principal clears her throat before pushing a button on her phone's receiver. "Darla, will you please call Tucker Johnson into the office please?"_

_The walk to the car is quiet until his dad stops him in the middle of the parking lot. He bends until he's eye level with Keith._

_"Keith, your mom loved you more than anything."_

_Keith already feels tears rising. "Then why did she leave? What if Tucker was right?"_

_His dad pulls him into a hug, holding him tightly to his chest. "Someday you'll understand everything. Right now you're going to have to trust me. She wanted to stay with you, Keith. She did."_

_Keith ends up getting two days of suspension. Tucker ends up getting three._

The second time around, Keith is woken up by fingers in his hair. It's easier to think this time, and he doesn't feel so warm. His side still feels like shit. He shifts a little to get more comfortable and the hands remove themselves from his hair.

"Welcome back to the land of the living."

Keith opens his eyes and sees Lance leaning on the cave wall next to him. He glances around. The cave is relatively big. He can see both the entrance and the back of the cave, but it's wide enough that there's plenty of space for the both of them and the very small fire Lance has going next to them. He watches the tiny tendrils of smoke curl out of the cave. It's not a big enough fire to attract attention and Keith is impressed at Lance's forethought.

"How long was I out?" Keith asks, taking the water container from Lance. It looks like lance hollowed out some kind of fruit to make a bowl. He's curious as to how he did it without a weapon.

"The first time or the second time?" 

"Both."

"The first time, two days. The second time, four days." Lance recites.

Six days. He's been unconscious six days. Lance took care of him for six days, probably saving his life. He knows he had a fever, the unfairly clear memory of what he's said to Lance making heat rise to his face. Lance took care of him, not to mention he also found shelter and food and water.  

"Thank you." Keith says earnestly.

"You're welcome." Lance smiles down at him.

_I like looking at you too._

Keith gasps, sitting up and wincing at the way it pulls on his wound.

"What is it?" Lance looks panicked, ready for action.

Keith doesn't know how to respond. Lance really said that to him. It opens up all kinds of possibilities for how Lance might feel about Keith. It's not possible Lance likes him back, right?

"Keith." Lance enunciates, trying to get his attention.

Keith turns to look at Lance, finding him closer than expected. He makes a choice.

Keith leans into Lance's space and kisses him. It's chaste, barely more than a press of lips. He holds it there for a second to give Lance time to get over his initial shock. He starts to lean back when Lance doesn't move, but Lance catches him, pulling gently on his arm and presses his lips back to Keith's. He feels warm, and whole, and all of the other things he's heard described about kisses. Lance raises a hand to his neck and Keith shivers, pressing his lips more firmly to Lance's. They separate to breathe, and Lance rests his forehead against Keith's. Lance still has his eyes closed and Keith takes the opportunity to admire his face this close. Lance is a little flushed and it makes the little freckles on his cheeks stand out. He's so pretty and it makes Keith's heart ache. Lance leans out of his space, opening his eyes.

"Not that I'm complaining, but where did that come from?" Lance asks.

Keith gives him a small smile, a little embarrassed at his own behavior. "I just-I've wanted to do that for a while. Plus, I remember what you said when I was out of it with the fever," he pauses, biting his lip, "I like you, Lance." He fidgets in place, looking down at the ground before flicking his eyes up to judge Lance's reaction.

Lance is staring at him, mouth open. "You like me? You mean you _like_ like me?"

Keith gives him a blank look. "What are you, twelve?"

"But you do, right?" Lance is almost giddy.

"Yes, I _like_ like you." Keith might scream if he has to say it again.

"Me too. I mean, I like you too. Like that." Lance looks like he's won the lottery, smiling wide, and it sends a rush of affection through Keith.

It's quiet for a moment as they both absorb what has just taken place. Keith would think that it was all in his head if it wasn't for the way Lance keeps looking at him out of the corner of his eye as he pokes at the small fire, a tiny smile still on his lips. He had never thought Lance would ever feel the same. They've spent so much of their past fighting with each other that it seemed like such a long shot. Maybe Lance has been hiding behind insults and bickering just the same as him. Keith feels so much lighter now. He's finally allowing himself to have something that he wants, just because he wants it. He thinks he could get used to the feeling.

The pain in his side is making comeback and Keith finally looks down at it. It's bandaged with strips of Lance's shirt, they're almost soaked through but they don't have anything else to wrap it in. He inspects the wound. There are three long cuts in his side, from hip to just under his ribs. A perfect print of the claws that sank into him. The weird part is how they already seem to be healing. He should have been bleeding more. He's had the same bandages on for six days. He wonders if this is yet another aspect of his changing body. He likes this one a lot more than the purple patches and yellow eyes.

Now that he's healing, it's time to start thinking about how to get back to the Galra base. Before they were thrown completely off course, they had been planning on doing some recon in order to see what they would be up against in the fight to get their lions back. His stomach growls. It seemed food was first up on the agenda. He wonders how Lance has been feeding him up until now, six days is a long time to go without. It's a question for another time.

"Where have you been getting food from?"

Lance looks up from where he's been attending to the fire, breaking off tiny twigs and arranging them to allow for air flow.

"I went looking in the jungle. I found some fruit but I wasn't sure if it was edible. I did that thing we learned in training where if you rub it on your lips and it doesn't sting you can eat a tiny piece and so on. It was fine and so I've just been looking for that." 

"That was really smart." Keith notes.

Lance ducks his head at the praise and doesn't reply.

"Do you have some more? I'm pretty hungry. Healing from an alien creature's claws will do that to you."

Lance gets up to go just outside of the cave. He returns in a second with an armful of the fruit. They're small, the size of a golf ball, and green. Lance hands a few over to him.

"You just take a bite right out of it, like an apple."

Keith does. It's surprisingly good. It's sweet to the point that it could be candy. The two sit there, making a meal out of it. When they're done, Lance throws the pits out of the cave and into the jungle. His hands are sticky and he wipes them on his pants.

He figures it's time to find out if he can walk. He has to pee. He uses the cave wall to balance, trying not to pull on his torso as he gets to his feet. Lance re enters the cave and makes a noise of protest at Keith, reaching a hand out to steady him.

"What are you doing? You're going to re open your cuts." Lance fusses at him.

"I'm fine." Keith huffs back, trying to keep the effort it takes to stand out of his voice.

He makes it upright, breathing a little strained. He stands there while he catches his breath. He thinks he should be fine to walk, it's not like his legs are injured. If he takes it slow his side shouldn't protest too much. He takes a few steps, breathing a sigh of relief when it doesn't agitate the wound. Lance watches him go, ready to steady him if needed. He looks back at him. 

"I'm going to pee. I'm not going to die."

Lance sticks his tongue out at him. "If you fall with your pants down, I'm leaving you there."

Keith laughs as he makes his way out of the cave. He goes a little ways into the jungle. He can see the edge of the bank where the sound of the waterfall can be heard. Lance didn't have to carry him that far then. He does his business and then makes his way back into the cave.

"I survived." Keith announces as he slowly lowers himself next to the fire, wincing. 

Lance rolls his eyes. 

"So, about the Galra base," Keith begins, "I don't know how we're going to find it again. When we escaped we were just running for our lives. Plus, we've jumped a cliff into a body of water. I think our best bet is to first find our way back up onto cliff where we started. That way we'd at least know we're on the same plane as the base."

"Should we really be trying to go back? What if Mr. Claws is still there?" Lance questions.

"Mr. Claws?" Keith is amused.

"Yeah, you know. Your buddy. The one who tried to valiantly free you from that vine."

Keith gives him a look. "I know the one."

Lance holds his arms out like he's still waiting for an answer.

"I think it's still our best option. I think the likelihood of it still being there is pretty low. Plus, we know the base is somewhere around there." Keith explains.

Lance still doesn't look happy. "Okay, fine. When should we head out?"

Keith prods at his torso. "I say we wait a few days, give my side a little more time."

Lance seems relieved at that at least. "A few days it is."

Lance leans over to peck him on the lips, returning to his spot immediately after. Keith looks at him with wide eyes, surprised at the causal affection. He raises a hand to touch his own lips, they still tingle from the brief kiss. 

A few days. If Keith can keep it together that long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kiss! Finally! Please leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We cuddle." 
> 
> "What?" Keith knows he misheard.
> 
> "We cuddle." Lance repeats simply, like he's found the cure.

On the first day of Keith's recovery, his side hurts like a bitch. He doesn't understand why. It didn't hurt this much yesterday and the cuts themselves were worse yesterday. 

It's about mid day, whatever time that actually is on this planet. They're still in their cave, just as they'd planned, and Keith is bored as hell. It's driving him nuts that they're stuck here because of his stupid side. He wants to find the Galra base, get their lions, and get back to the castle and the team. Instead, they're sat here, taking it easy so his gashes can heal. The boredom gives him nothing to focus on but the throbbing ache in his side. 

He's propped up against the cave wall across from the fire, legs crossed out in front of him and arms at his side. He can't cross his arms, it pulls too much on his wound. The heat of the fire combined with the raging heat from outside is making him sweat, the inside of the cave only marginally cooler than the air outside. He can feel the sweat beading on his temples and he feels gross from having not showered for so many days. He fidgets in an attempt to get more comfortable. It's a lost cause, the rock wall he's leaning against sticks out and his own movements send a sharp sting through his torso. He hisses, bringing a hand up to cover where the wound would be. This sucks.

Lance is sat cross legged on the other side of the fire, prodding at it with a stick. Keith thinks he's probably trying to relieve his own boredom. Lance is quiet, and Keith is going to blame it on the heat. It makes it hard to do anything, even talk. He's sweating too, but Keith thinks he still looks good. It's a delicate sweat, unlike Keith who probably looks like he's been running for the last several hours. He hadn't been looking at Keith until he'd reacted to the pain in his side. Now he's blinking at him over the fire, eyebrows raised in question.

"You okay?"

Keith drops his hand back down. "Yeah, my side just hurts is all." Keith thinks there's no harm in being honest, Lance already knows about the wound anyway and it obviously hurts.

"I wish we had a healing pod right about now." The corners of Lance's mouth turn downward.

"You and me both." Keith grits out through clenched teeth.

His wound is really throbbing now, radiating out so that Keith thinks he can feel it even in his toes. He spares a thought that maybe something has gone wrong with the healing but a close inspection of the wound reveals that nothing looks amiss. He doesn't know if it's the sound of pain in his voice or the look on his face or his prodding at his wound but it causes Lance to abandon his place by the fire and come to his side to kneel next to him.

"Let me see." Lance shuffles a little closer and unwraps his shirt scraps from around Keith's torso. He inspects it, obviously taking care to examine it, eyebrows drawn down in concentration. It's cute, if Keith's being honest. Keith doesn't need anyone taking care of him, but he can see the appeal.

"It looks fine. You're healing." Lance sounds confused as he wraps the makeshift bandage back around Keith.

"I know," Keith leans forward so Lance can get the bandage around, "It just hurts. Must be part of the healing process." Keith shrugs and instantly regrets it, holding his breath through the pain.

Lance looks like he's struggling. 

"It'll be better tomorrow." Keith wants Lance to stop looking at him like that but he knows there's nothing else that can be done for his side except give it time. 

"But you're hurting _now_." Lance almost whines back. It sounds petulant and it makes Keith give a small smile.

"Well what do you suggest?" Keith folds his hands in his lap, looking at Lance expectantly.

Lance thinks it over, looking at the fire while he does. Keith waits.

"We cuddle." 

"What?" Keith knows he misheard.

"We cuddle." Lance repeats simply, like he's found the cure.

Keith gazes at him silently, trying to figure out what to do with that. First of all, Keith's not really one for cuddling. Or, at least he thinks he isn't. He supposes he doesn't really know. But this is Lance. They kissed yesterday, twice, and Keith liked that even though he's not really one for physical affection. Second of all, the idea is ridiculous. There's no way cuddling is going to aid in his pain at all. He knows Lance doesn't _really_ think it will, but it still sounds ridiculous to try it. His curiosity, and the idea that Lance would touch him some more, wins out in the end.

"Okay." Keith answers, meeting Lance's eyes.

Lance seems shocked, staring back at him with wide eyes. Keith thinks he thought he was going to say no. He probably would have, a month ago. Keith raises an eyebrow at him when he doesn't move. Is Keith supposed to move first? He doesn't think so. Finally Lance nods to himself and scoots even closer to Keith. He slides up until he's sitting directly next to Keith before looking over at him again.

"A spot, just for you." Lance pats his lap.

Keith gives him a deadpan look. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Lance asks innocently, patting his lap again.

"Don't be weird." Keith warns, moving away from the wall.

Lance laughs. "Fine. I just wanted to see your face."

Keith rolls his eyes. He hesitates in front of Lance for a second, trying to figure out what Lance even wants him to do, before Lance pulls him by the hands. He lets Lance move him around until he's straddling him, nose to nose. He wants to kiss Lance again but decides there's time for that later. His side really hurts. Lance brings a hand up to Keith's back and pushes his head down so it's resting on his neck. Keith is tense for a minute or two, thankful for Lance's silence, before he relaxes into the position. It's comfortable, leaning into Lance's chest with his head on his shoulder. He doesn't have to lean against the wall anymore and it takes the pressure off of his side. It's nice. It gets even better when Lance starts gently rubbing one of his hands up and down his back, sending a pleasant tingling through him. Overall, Keith decides that cuddling is great, even if it does embarrass him a little to be so vulnerable.

They sit like that for a long time. Keith even dozes off for a while he's so comfortable. When he blinks his eyes open again, it's dark outside. He leans away from Lance to stretch, carefully, lifting his arms above his head and arching his back to remove the stiffness in his joints. He settles again, flicking his eyes back to Lance's face. Lance isn't looking at his face, his eyes are looking downward at Keith's stomach. Keith thinks he's looking at his wound maybe, but it's not the right spot. He's confused until Lance meets his eyes again. Lance's eyes are dark and his pupils are wide. Keith shivers at the look and the realization that Lance had been watching the spot where his shirt rides up when he stretches. They hold each others gaze for a second longer before Lance smiles at him.

"See? I told you cuddling would fix it."

Keith lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding at the broken tension. "You're pretty comfortable." Keith agrees, climbing off of Lance's lap. His side still kinda hurts but he figures Lance doesn't need to know that.

"Where are you going?" Lance questions, taking his turn to stretch.

"The fire is going out." Keith answers, walking the few step over to the little fire circle Lance had made a few days before. He kneels in front of it, happy to note his side doesn't protest. He adds a little tinder to where the flame is still doing it's best to survive, watching the fire curl around the sticks as it grows. When he's satisfied it won't go out, he reaches for their little food supply. He takes a few of the little fruits before tossing some to Lance, who catches them easily. They eat in silence, enjoying the fire and the night outside. He knows the peace won't last and he takes the opportunity to appreciate the quiet moment.

* * *

On the morning of the third day Keith's been conscious, they decide they can leave the cave. Keith's wound has scarred over into seven inch long lines, pink against his pale skin. There's no pain at all anymore and Keith feels completely normal. Well, as normal as he could feel when he knows it should have taken so much longer for them to heal. Lance has no reason to protest against Keith moving around.

So, they do their best to make sure the cave looks like no one has ever been in it, and they wave goodbye to their second little shelter.

As planned, they start heading back the way they came in an attempt to find a way back up onto the cliff edge by the waterfall where they had gone over. The walk from the cave to the waterfall is short but it still takes them an hour to do it. They had to go slow and quiet to be able to listen for footsteps that weren't theirs. The thought of more Galra soldiers is an ever present threat hanging above their heads. They make it though, and it makes Keith feel kinda weird to stand on the spot where he knows Lance dragged him from the water. 

They can't really see that far with how thick the jungle is and so Lance volunteers to climb a tree. He's up there for two or three minutes before he comes back down.

"Well?" Keith asks.

Lance points into the jungle off to the right of the waterfall. "I think we should go that way. It looks like the land smooths out to where we're at. We might be able to climb up."

Keith shrugs. "Then lets go." Keith trusts him. He knows he would have argued about this not even a few months ago. He thinks Shiro would be proud of him. The thought makes his heart throb. He misses the others. He shrugs it off. They have to survive this planet first.

They walk as close to the cliff edge as they can in order to not get lost or disoriented. The last thing they need is to not be able to find their way back. It's slow going, the trudge through the jungle is hard and active. It's not flat ground and they have to constantly step over rocks and vines and move around trees. Keith can feel the sun on his neck despite the thickness of the jungle. He turns around to look at Lance, fearing that he's getting burned by the sun without a shirt, but Lance looks fine. He's tan, and it irritates Keith that he knows that if the situation were reversed, he would be red as a lobster, not tan and gorgeous. Lance smirks at him like he knows what he's thinking and Keith huffs a breath before turning back around. Lance chuckles and Keith smiles despite himself.

Lance picks more of the fruit they've been eating as they walk, reaching up to pull them off of the trees. He throws the pits at the back of Keith's head. Keith gets revenge by letting some of the branches he walks through hit Lance, letting them snap back into place instead of holding them out of the way.

What feels like a few hours later, they make it to the slanted cliff side. It's at a steep enough angle that Keith thinks they'll be able to climb it. At this point it's less of a cliff and more of a really big rocky hill. It's still steep enough that the climb is going to be hellish but still doable. 

"How far do you think we are from the base?" Lance asks.

"We can't be that far. The waterfall isn't that far from here which means the base can't be too far. We didn't go that far into the jungle before we ran into the waterfall, just far enough to stay hidden." Keith replies, still looking at the cliff.

"Then don't you think it's strange that we haven't even remotely thought we heard one of the Galra?" 

Keith turns to face Lance. It is kind of weird. They're far but they're not _that_ far. If the Galra were really looking for them, they should have come across some guards by now. Especially since they left two behind to point the way.

"Yeah, it is weird. There's nothing we can do about it though." Keith answers, sighing.

Lance doesn't look like he likes that answer very much. Keith doesn't either to be honest.

If the Galra aren't out looking for them, then where are they?

As they start to ascend the cliff, Keith tries not to think very hard about that question.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked the cuddling bit, you can thank Klancesukar who requested some Lance comforting Keith's pain. Hopefully that was what you were looking for. If you enjoyed please leave a kudos or comment!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Fuck. Fuck." Keith's so angry.

Keith makes Lance go in front of him up the cliff. Keith knows he's a better climber than Lance. He's always had better balance and his newfound Galra genetics make it even easier to scale things. Lance doesn't protest, he just wearily grabs a hold of the rock face in front of him and pulls himself up a little at a time.

"Feel free to stare at my ass." Lance says from a little ways up, his ass in Keith's face.

Keith smacks him on the ass and Lance yelps, looking down at him from where he's clinging to the rocks in shock.

"I could have fallen!" Lance exclaims in a high pitched voice.

"Please", Keith brushes him off, "I would have caught you. Keep going, we don't have all day."

They do, technically, but Keith ignores that fact. 

As soon as Lance has scaled high enough for Keith to have room, Keith swings himself up onto the cliff underneath Lance. The purple of his own hands is distracting as he climbs and he wonders if he'll ever get used to it. Every once in a while Lance looks down between his legs to check that Keith is still there and Keith meets his gaze, yellow staring into blue, before Lance pushes himself higher.

Keith isn't afraid of heights but he still doesn't want to look down. He does. He tries to judge how high up they are in relation to the cliff. From his perspective, it looks like they're about a third of the way up. Keith sighs. His hands already hurt from holding onto the jagged edges of the rocks and his toes ache from how they have to find the holds in the side of the cliff. 

Everything is fine for awhile as they climb. It's hard and tedious, but they're making progress. They don't have another option so Keith is just relieved they can actually scale this without any kind of equipment.

Just as he has the thought, Lance lets out a yelp as his foot slips out from under him. Keith whips his head up as fast as he can without losing his own hold to see Lance with a death grip on the rock edge, his legs flailing in an attempt to find a hold. They're far enough up that if Lance falls, he'll take Keith with him, and they'll both die from the impact of hitting the ground.

"Calm down!" Keith calls up. Lance's panic is making the situation more dangerous. 

"I'm going to fall!" Lance calls back, his voice tight. 

"You're not", Keith yells up calmly, "You have to calm down. Stop moving, take a breath, and find the hold again."

Lance struggles with stilling himself, fighting the urge to prevent his legs from hanging. He does as Keith says though, taking a few deep breaths before sliding his foot along the edge. Keith lets out a sigh of relief when Lance's toes meet an indent in the rocks. Lance leans his forehead against the rocks and Keith can see that he has his eyes closed.

"You did great." Keith says warmly, trying to soothe a little of Lance's nerves away.

Lance looks down at him at the praise, a small smile on his lips. 

They keep going. 

Eventually, they find a ledge in the side of the cliff that his wide enough and sturdy enough for them to sit on to rest. Lance holds out a hand and Keith takes it, hauling himself over the ledge and onto the rock next to Lance. They sit quietly as they catch their breath. Keith's own hands have blisters and a quick glance to his side confirms that Lance's do too. Lance's forearms and stomach are also scraped up and Keith thinks it's probably from having to pull himself up the cliff, the rocks would have been rough on his bare skin. Keith doesn't hesitate before taking their one shirt off and handing it over.

"Um, gross, I don't want your sweaty sleeves, thanks." Lance makes a face as Keith sets it in his lap.

"Put it on." Keith says, pointing at Lance's stomach.

Lance looks down at his stomach before pulling the shirt over his head. "This is kinda gross, man." 

"It's better than getting cut up right? It's your turn to wear it." Keith insists.

Lance gives up fighting him on it and instead examines Keith's bare torso. It makes Keith want to cross his arms but he refrains.

"You're all the way purple now." Lance says conversationally, adjusting the sleeves on the shirt so they don't fall over his hands so much.

Keith turns to face him all the way, mindful of the edge of the rock. "Excuse me?" 

Lance looks a little sheepish. "You freaked out the first time, I didn't want to tell you."

Keith takes inventory of his own skin. Now that he's not wearing a shirt, he can see even purple spread all over his arms and his torso. He turns his head to look over his back and sees more purple.

"Oh." Keith frowns a little.

"It's hot though, especially with the eyes. Very striking." Lance adds. Keith guesses he must have looked just as uncomfortable as he felt.

"Really?" Keith asks hopefully, bringing his eyes up to meet Lance's. Keith wouldn't say he has never really struggled much with self esteem in how he looks, he hasn't cared enough, but now that he looks completely different he appreciates the reassurance.

"Yeah, totally." Lance nods, grinning.

Lance leans towards him then and pulls Keith closer away from the edge. He puts a hand on Keith's neck and tilts his own head to press a kiss to Keith's lips. It starts chaste, barely a press of lips, before Lance lets his tongue touch Keith's lips. Keith gasps in surprise and Lance takes the opportunity to nip Keith's bottom lip before running their tongues together. Keith makes a soft noise into the kiss and Lance echoes him, pulling Keith half onto his lap. They kiss slowly but dirty and it makes Keith shiver. Keith pulls away to breathe for a second, their mouths separating with a wet sound that makes Keith blush. 

"Shit, so hot." Lance breathes into the small space between them, his breath fanning Keith's face. The praise sends heat through Keith and he keeps his eyes closed, afraid he'll see the heat he's feeling reflected back at him.

Lance pecks him on the lips a few times before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I promise, the purple is a good look for you." Lance says hotly, and when Keith finally opens his eyes there it is, those blue eyes reduced to slivers to make room for the size of his pupils. He can't imagine what his own eyes must look like right now.

"Thank you." Keith mumbles, pressing his flushed face into Lance's shoulder. They're edging on territory Keith isn't ready for yet and so he lifts his head before sliding out of Lance's lap. He doesn't think he should be this affected just from a little making out. It's embarrassing, but the fact that Lance is breathing just as hard as him makes him feel better about it. 

Keith turns his head to tell Lance they should get moving again but stops when he spots something unnatural in the cliff face.

It's a security camera.

Without saying a word, Keith pushes Lance's face until he's forced to look at it too. It's silent, the sound of the waterfall in the distance a background track to their horror. 

So many things become apparent all at once. The first thought that pops into his mind is that the Galra have just watched him and Lance kiss. It's ridiculous, and certainly the least important problem they have, but it still makes Keith angry that someone else was invading their private moment.

The second thought that runs through his mind is that this must be why there are no Galra up and about trying to find them. Having security cameras hidden throughout the jungle would mean that they always know where they are. The Galra have no need to track them if they know right where to find them. Keith twists his head around, examining the environment around them. Now that he's looking for them, he can see another camera at the very top of a tree pointed toward them, and another one farther down the cliff below them. He doesn't know how they both missed this. He supposes the two of them don't naturally look that high up when they're scanning for danger. They had figured any threats would be coming on foot.

Keith doesn't understand it though. If the Galra have these cameras up, then why haven't they come to collect their prisoners? It makes sense that the Galra wouldn't want them roaming around, free to find an escape. The Galra are _letting_ him and Lance do this. But why? _Why?_ It makes absolutely no sense. The only thing that Keith knows for sure is that this is a trap somehow. He doesn't know how but he knows it's true. It's not like the Galra are just _letting them go._ This must have something to do with him becoming Galra. It's tied together somehow.

"They've seen us looking at it." Lance says, monotone from where he's still staring into the lens.

Keith realizes he's right. They've both made a mistake by looking directly into the lens. Now the Galra will know that the two know they're being watched. Keith leans to his right and watches as the camera tracks his movement.

"Fuck. _Fuck_." Keith's so angry. They've made it this far only to have been right where the Galra wanted them the whole time. His hands are balled into fists and he's shaking. 

"Calm down." Lance tells him, voice low. It's an echo of Keith from earlier and it irritates him that the two know each other so well.

Keith takes a breath through his nose, trying to get a a hold on his rage.

"They know. They know everything." Keith says, and his voice sounds hollow even to himself.

All of their plans, all their actions, them tying up the two Galra soldiers. Was that just a trick to make them look dumb as fuck? That would explain why their guns stopped working. Their plan to get back to the others has just gone up in smoke and Keith has had enough. He wants to get back to his family and his lion and kiss Lance after he kicks his ass on the training deck. 

Keith sits up on his knees, the little pebbles digging into his shins, and looks at the camera, looking directly into the lens.

"Keith." Lance warns, responding to whatever look must be on his face right now.

Keith spares him a quick glance before turning his glare on the camera. He leans forward.

"Listen up, shitheads, I'm only going to say this once.", Keith starts in a low voice, "We're getting off of this planet. I don't care if you know our every move, we're still coming to kick your ass. If you think we're just going to lay down and take it then you haven't been watching us very closely."

Keith looks over at Lance who's staring at him, mouth hanging open. He looks both impressed and like he thinks Keith is fucking up big time right now.

Keith turns back to the camera and sticks up his middle finger.

With nothing else to lose, the two scale the rest of the cliff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....So that's where the Galra are. If you enjoyed please leave a kudos or a comment!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So I guess recon is off the table." Keith sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.

Once they're on solid ground, Keith starts to pace.

His anger is only just now fading into something like determination. Keith's never liked having to play by other people's rules. They're still currently shit out of luck though. Their plan to do some recon has gone out the window. There's no point in being sneaky now that the Galra know they're coming. At the end of the day, they still need to get back to their lions.

"This is bad, really bad." Lance observes from where he's leaning up against a tree, watching Keith. He sounds distant and resigned more than scared, which is almost worse if Keith's being honest. The two had used rocks to break any cameras in the immediate vicinity. He knows it's too late now, the Galra know all about them and their plans, but at least this way they can try and hatch a new one in privacy.

Keith stops his pacing, sure that his unrest is making Lance even more uneasy.

"I know." Keith says simply, surprised that his voice sounds just as empty as Lance's.

Neither of them say anything for a few minutes. Keith doesn't know what Lance is thinking about, but his eyebrows are furrowed and he has his arms crossed. Keith hopes he's thinking of a new plan because he sure as hell doesn't have one. He doesn't know if the Galra are coming to capture them now that they know about the cameras or if the Galra feel like they have a big enough upper hand to let them do what they want. He's not sure which he's hoping for. 

Keith feels so bone tired now that his rage has passed. He can feel his exhaustion in his soul and wonders how the rest of the team is doing. He hopes they aren't struggling as much as him and Lance. He'd give anything for some advice from Shiro right about now.

"So I guess recon is off the table." Keith sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. 

Lance pushes off from the tree he's leaning against and moves to stand in front of Keith, hands covered with the sleeves of Keith's dirty long sleeve. "What if we just bust right in the front?"

"What?" Lance is always griping at Keith for going in guns blazing.

"What if we just go in through the front, no recon?", Lance repeats slowly, "Think about it. They know we're coming now and they probably think we'll hang back until we have a better plan. If we make use of the time that we have now while they're still figuring out that we know about the cameras, we might have a shot at the lions."

Keith doesn't have a better plan. Plus, Lance is right. They need to use this time to strike while the Galra are figuring out what to do now that they know, assuming they don't already have a plan. There are a shit ton of things that could go wrong with this. They might be playing directly into what their captors want, they don't know for sure that their lions are in the main hangar, they have no weapons. It's above and beyond risky.

Keith's on board.

"Okay. We need to go then, they probably already know the cameras in this area are down." Keith's adrenaline ramps back up with the promise of fighting. He's always been better at going into things on gut feeling and instinct.

"Alright then, hothead, lead the way." Lance waves a hand in his direction.

Keith does.

* * *

 

The two continue on their original path back to the base. They don't run. They need to conserve their energy and they don't want to appear suspicious. Well, anymore suspicious than they already do. Keith starts to wonder about forty five minutes into their trek if they're actually going the right way. One glance at Lance lets him know he's thinking the same thing. It's so hard to tell with all of the trees and vegetation creating a giant green backdrop.

Keith also knows that they didn't actually make it that far into the forest before they went over the waterfall cliff. When they first escaped the Galra base they had only ran until they were out of sight. They stayed in their tree for only a brief period. He looks around at the trees surrounding them, wiping the sweat off of his forehead as he does. He wants to say they look familiar, but they all do.

"Keith." Lance calls quietly.

Keith turns around to face him, yellow eyes tracking his movement. 

"What?" He asks when Lance doesn't answer him.

Lance tilts his head like Keith should already know what he's talking about. "Listen. There's water."

Keith's ears flicker as he listens. He reaches up to feel his ears only to find that they're soft and tall, like a Galra's. Keith doesn't even have it in him to feel weird about it anymore. He also valiantly decides not to yell at Lance for not telling him another thing has changed. The flickering of his ears isn't conscious, and it's actually a little embarrassing. Lance makes a little cooing noise at the action, which Keith ignores. Now that he's listening for it, Keith hears it. There's water somewhere in front of them. He thinks of the little river that he had bathed in the morning Lance had told him his eyes were yellow.

He's startled out of his thoughts by Lance reaching a hand up from behind him to stroke his ears.

"Oh my God, those are so soft." Lance sounds like he's having the time of his life.

Keith smacks his hand back down and glares at him. He tries not to flush at the way his ears lay back when he does it. "Let's just go. At least now we know we're going the right way."

Lance just smiles back at him. Keith rolls his eyes. They keep walking.

They stumble onto the little river fifteen minutes later. Keith realizes that this means they already passed through the Alien monster's territory. He feels some of the uneasiness in his gut lift with the knowledge. He lifts a hand to run it over where the scars would be on his torso. He wonders if the Galra were hoping he'd just die or if they wanted him alive for their little experiment.

Finding the river means that they find their tree home too. It's still there, just as innocuous as before. It pulls at Keith and he thinks about how far they've come since then. He was still denying the way he felt about Lance when they were staying in this tree. His appearance was just starting to change. The sight of that shelter makes something like determination settle in Keith. They were going to get their lions back and they were going to get home. 

He stops walking when he realizes Lance isn't with him anymore. He looks over his shoulder and Lance is standing there with a hand on the tree, saying something. It's weird enough that Keith pauses. 

"What are you doing?" He asks, not unkindly.

Lance looks from the tree to Keith and pulls his hand away. He catches up to Keith. "I was just thanking it for being our little home when we didn't have one." He says casually, moving to walk in front of Keith now.

Keith watches Lance's back as he walks. He finds the sentiment both strange and endearing. He looks back at the tree.

"Thank you." He whispers. 

They walk on.

* * *

The actual sight of the base makes Keith feel both relieved and unsettled.

The two of them are standing in the tree line, hunched low so nobody who might be looking would be able to see them. They're peering out through the leaves and looking at the base.

"Alright. This is it." Lance says. To Keith, he looks every bit the Paladin of Voltron he is. He's wearing Keith's prisoner shirt and he's dirty as hell, but he's determined and standing tall. Keith feels like an idiot for ever thinking that he only had platonic feelings for him.

Keith nods his head. "Get in, get out. Find the lions. Our good friend Jax told us the lions were in the hangar but who knows if he was telling the truth. If something happens--", Keith pauses, "If something happens just stay put. We'll find each other."

Keith hadn't considered becoming separated from Lance. The idea fills him with dread. He wants his family together and whole and that means they both make it out unscathed.

Lance looks solemn when he makes eye contact with Keith, blue eyes meeting yellow. "Okay."

There's so much more Keith wants to say. He wants to tell Lance how much he means to him. He wants to let him know that if anything were to ever happen to Lance, it'd break him. But Keith's never been that person who can say things like that so easily. 

"I will never leave you behind." Lance says and takes a step toward Keith.

Just like that, Lance has said everything Keith wanted to.

"I will never leave you behind." Keith repeats and pulls Lance into him. He's not much of a hugger, but Lance has always been an exception.

When they separate, Keith takes a breath.

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

They run now, sprinting in the direction of the main gate.

They manage to surprise the guards keeping watch and Keith greets his soldier with a punch directly to its face. It goes down for a second and Keith rips the gun from it's hands. He points it at the guard and fires, not wasting a second. As soon as it hits the ground Keith whips around to see Lance deliver the final blow to his own guard, taking the gun from it.

The two have successfully managed to take down the guards without raising the alarm. Keith wants to think that's a good thing, but experience tells him it's not.

They're racing against the clock now as well, and so Keith immediately raises his hand to the little touch pad by the door. It slides open almost silently, a little whoosh of air as it decompresses.

There's no one in the main hall either, the purple lights lining the flooring and ceiling casting a purple glow to Lance's skin. Keith doesn't even want to know what he must look like in here. The two hold their guns up in front of them as they hurry along, checking behind them every so often. 

The next step is to find the hangar. Getting in was almost too easy and Keith has a feeling the hangar will be a different story. If they make it that far. 

They turn a corner and not a second later an alarm starts to sound. They've been in the building a full minute before it starts to blare. Keith's almost embarrassed for the Galra. A minute is way too long. They must have been right. The Galra _were_ expecting them to take longer coming up with a plan. At least one thing has gone right for them.

They keep steady, covering each other's backs as long as they can. Keith can hear footsteps echoing off of the metal flooring heading their way. He wonders if Lance can hear it yet, with his human ears. He guesses not because he doesn't change his stride. 

"They're coming." Keith says, starting to run down the hall now, pulling Lance with him. Lance keeps pace, sweat dripping off of his face.

Suddenly there's too many Galra foot soldiers. There must be thirty, coming from both sides of the hall. Keith stops, and Lance swings to face him. They make eye contact for a brief second before Lance nods. 

They each go a different direction down the main hall, Lance heading back the way they came.

Keith hopes that he sees him in the hangar when he gets there.

On his own now, Keith sprints down the hall, shooting as he goes. He causes enough of a fuss that it throws the soldiers off balance and they don't get enough shots off before Keith is on top of them, pushing his way through. When he breaks through, he just keeps going.

He scans the walls as he runs, looking for anything that might resemble a door to a hangar. Or a sign pointing to one. He's not picky.

He turns the corner to the hall only to run directly into a Galra soldier.

"Well isn't this nice, a little reunion." A familiar voice says to him.

Keith doesn't even care who it is, he tries to make a run for it. He doesn't make it three steps before the Galra has him by both arms, shoving him down to the floor.

It's Jax.

"Finally made it out of those handcuffs, huh?" Keith says lightly, ripping his arm from Jax's grip and trying his best to throw his weight off of him.

"I did, yeah," Jax says conversationally, "actually, I brought them for you this time." Jax leans all of his weight on Keith to reach inside of his uniform for the cuffs.

"No thanks." Keith says, hooking Jax's leg and flipping their position. Keith wastes no time in elbowing Jax in the nose before he's up and off of him, sprinting down the hall. He doesn't look back when he hears Jax yelling obscenities behind him.

When he does find the hangar, Keith almost misses it. He has to run back the way he came a little ways, stopping in front of the door. No guards. No Lance either.

Keith puts his hand over the sensor and the door slides open.

And there, in the middle of the hangar, are Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk, guns pointed at their heads.

"Keith, nice of you to join us." Sendak says, voice warm.

_Fuck._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry it's been so long. My finals for university just ended so I should have more free time. Yay! Also, yeah, Sendak.


End file.
